Olympic Stadium
Olympic Stadium is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words Olympic Stadium as part of their names, such as stadiums in Amsterdam, Berlin, Helsinki and Paris. Olympic Stadium may also be named a multi-purpose stadium which hosts Olympic sports.[1]
In the case of the Summer Olympic Games, athletics competitions and the football final are traditionally held in the Olympic Stadium. Exceptions to this have occurred though at the 1900, 1996, 2012, 2016, and 2024 Summer Olympics as well as at the 2010 and 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games.
Early Winter Olympic Games often used figure skating venues as focal points. These were often designated as the Olympic Stadium, usually hosting the opening and closing ceremonies.
A number of stadiums have been used in more than one Olympics in cities that have held the Games more than once. For instance, Lysgårdsbakken was the main stadium of a Winter Olympics and a Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG). Bergiselschanze was the main stadium of two Winter Olympics and one Winter YOG. Olympiahalle jointly shared the Olympic Stadium role with Bergiselschanze during the two Winter Olympics, but not during the Winter YOG.
Only one stadium, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, has been the main stadium of two Summer Olympics, and it is going to be the main stadium a record third time in the 2028 Games. In addition to the inaugural Summer Olympics, the Panathinaiko Stadio was also the main stadium of the only Intercalated Games held. The National Stadium in Tokyo was the main stadium that hosted the 1964 Summer Olympics (the first in Asia), but the 2020 Games was hosted in a new stadium on the same site. Beijing National Stadium was the main stadium of two Olympics, but with a special distinction: it was the only stadium to have been such at both a Summer and a Winter Olympics opening and closing ceremonies.
A number of stadiums have hosted events at subsequent Olympics. In the 2004 Athens Games, the Panathinaiko Stadio hosted the archery competition and was the finish of both women's and men's marathon events. The Vélodrome de Vincennes, the main stadium of the 1900 Summer Olympics, was the track cycling venue of the 1924 Paris Games. Similarly, the Stade Yves-du-Manoir, the 1924 Games main stadium, was used for the field hockey tournaments at the 2024 Summer Olympics. The London Games of 2012 were not opened and closed at the rebuilt Wembley Stadium, the site of the 1948 Olympic Stadium, but instead at a new stadium in Stratford. Wembley was, however, the venue for some 2012 Olympic football matches, including both men's and women's finals. Likewise, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which was the centrepiece stadium for the 1956 games, later hosted the first games of the Sydney 2000 football tournament. Lake Placid's 1932 Olympic Stadium was utilized in the 1980 Lake Placid games as the speed skating venue. Olympiahalle hosted figure skating and short-track speed skating during the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics. Stockholm Olympic Stadium hosted equestrian events for the 1956 Summer Olympics (while the 1956 Games were held in Melbourne, Australia, quarantine restrictions prevented equestrian events from being held domestically, thus Stockholm, Sweden hosted the 1956 equestrian competitions).
Stadiums
| Image | Olympics | Season | Stadium | Native name | City | Country | New/old | Capacity | Existing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
1896 | Summer | Panathenaic Stadium | Παναθηναϊκό στάδιο | Athens |  Greece |
Existing | 80,000 | Yes |
 |
1900 | Vincennes Velodrome (ceremony) | Vélodrome de Vincennes | Paris |  France |
50,000 | Yes | ||
| Croix-Catelan Stadium (athletics) | Stade Croix-Catelan | No | |||||||
 |
1904 | Francis Field | St. Louis |  United States |
New | 19,000 | Yes | ||
 |
1906 Intercalated | Panathenaic Stadium | Παναθηναϊκό στάδιο | Athens | Greece |
Existing | 80,000 | Yes | |
 |
1908 | White City Stadium | London |  United Kingdom |
New | 68,000 | No | ||
 |
1912 | Olympic Stadium | Stockholms Olympiastadion | Stockholm |  Sweden |
New | 20,000 | Yes | |
 |
1920 | Olympic Stadium | Olympisch Stadion | Antwerp |  Belgium |
New | 12,771 | Yes | |
 |
1924 | Winter | Olympic Stadium | Stade Olympique de Chamonix | Chamonix | France |
New | 45,000 | Yes |
 |
1924 | Summer | Olympic Stadium | Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir | Paris | Existing | 45,000 | Yes | |
 |
1928 | Winter | St. Moritz Olympic Ice Rink | Badrutts Park | St. Moritz |  Switzerland |
New | 4,000 | Yes |
 |
1928 | Summer | Olympic Stadium | Olympisch Stadion | Amsterdam |  Netherlands |
Existing, renovated | 31,600 | Yes |
| 1932 | Winter | Lake Placid Speedskating Oval | Lake Placid |  United States |
New | 7,500 | Yes | ||
 |
1932 | Summer | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | Los Angeles | Existing, expanded | 101,574 | Yes | ||
 |
1936 | Winter | Große Olympiaschanze | Garmisch-Partenkirchen |  Germany |
Existing | 40,000 | Yes | |
 |
1936 | Summer | Olympic Stadium | Olympiastadion | Berlin | New | 110,000 | Yes | |
 |
1948 | Winter | St. Moritz Olympic Ice Rink | Badrutts Park | St. Moritz | Switzerland |
Existing | 4,000 | Yes |
 |
1948 | Summer | Wembley Stadium | London | United Kingdom |
Existing | 82,000 | No (replaced) | |
 |
1952 | Winter | Bislett Stadium | Bislett stadion | Oslo |  Norway |
Existing | 20,000 | No (replaced) |
 |
1952 | Summer | Olympic Stadium | Olympiastadion | Helsinki |  Finland |
Existing | 70,470 | Yes |
 |
1956 | Winter | Stadio Olimpico Del Ghiaccio | Cortina d'Ampezzo |  Italy |
Existing, renovated | 12,000 | Yes | |
 |
1956 | Summer | Melbourne Cricket Ground | Melbourne |  Australia |
Existing | 104,000 | Yes | |
 |
1960 | Winter | Blyth Arena | Squaw Valley |  United States |
New | 8,500 | No | |
 |
1960 | Summer | Olympic Stadium | Stadio Olimpico | Rome | Italy |
Existing | 75,513 | Yes |
 |
1964 | Winter | Bergiselschanze (opening ceremony) | Innsbruck |  Austria |
Existing | 26,000 | Yes | |
 |
Olympiahalle (closing ceremony) | New | 10,836 | Yes | |||||
 |
1964 | Summer | National Stadium | 国立競技場 | Tokyo |  Japan |
Existing | 71,556 | No (replaced) |
 |
1968 | Winter | Olympic Stadium (opening ceremony) | Stade olympique | Grenoble | France |
Temporary | 60,000 | No |
 |
Le Stade de Glace (closing ceremony) | New | 12,000 | Yes | |||||
 |
1968 | Summer | Estadio Olímpico Universitario | Mexico City |  Mexico |
Existing | 83,700 | Yes | |
 |
1972 | Winter | Makomanai Open Stadium (opening ceremony) | 真駒内屋外競技場 | Sapporo | Japan |
New | 30,000 | Yes |
 |
Makomanai Ice Arena (closing ceremony) | 真駒内屋内競技場 | New | 11,500 | Yes | ||||
 |
1972 | Summer | Olympiastadion | Munich |  West Germany |
New | 77,000 | Yes | |
 |
1976 | Winter | Bergiselschanze (opening ceremony) | Innsbruck | Austria |
Existing | 26,000 | Yes | |
 |
Olympiahalle (closing ceremony) | Existing | 10,836 | Yes | |||||
 |
1976 | Summer | Olympic Stadium | Stade olympique | Montreal |  Canada |
New | 72,400 | Yes |
 |
1980 | Winter | Lake Placid Equestrian Stadium (opening ceremony) | Lake Placid |  United States |
Temporary stadium at existing equestrian grounds | 30,000 | No | |
 |
Olympic Center Arena (closing ceremony) | New | 10,000 | Yes | |||||
 |
1980 | Summer | Grand Arena of the Central Lenin Stadium | Большая спортивная арена центрального стадиона имени Ленина | Moscow |  Soviet Union |
Existing, renovated | 91,251 | Yes |
 |
1984 | Winter | Olympic Stadium (opening ceremony) | Olimpijski stadion | Sarajevo |  Yugoslavia |
Existing | 50,000 | Yes |
 |
Zetra Olympic Hall (closing ceremony) | Olimpijska dvorana Zetra | New | 12,000 | Yes | ||||
 |
1984 | Summer | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | Los Angeles | United States |
Existing | 92,516 | Yes | |
 |
1988 | Winter | McMahon Stadium | Calgary | Canada |
Existing, renovated | 38,205 | Yes | |
 |
1988 | Summer | Olympic Stadium | 올림픽주경기장 | Seoul |  South Korea |
Existing | 69,950 | Yes |
| 1992 | Winter | Theatre of Ceremonies | Théâtre des Cérémonies | Albertville | France |
Temporary | 35,000 | No | |
|
1992 | Summer | Olympic Stadium | Estadi Olímpic | Barcelona |  Spain
|
Existing | 60,000 | Yes |
 |
1994 | Winter | Lysgårdsbakkene Ski Jumping Arena | Lysgårdsbakkene hoppanlegg | Lillehammer | Norway |
New | 35,000 | Yes |
 |
1996 | Summer | Centennial Olympic Stadium | Atlanta | United States |
New | 85,000 | Yes (rebuilt)[a] | |
 |
1998 | Winter | Nagano Olympic Stadium | 長野オリンピックスタジアム | Nagano | Japan |
New | 30,000 | Yes |
 |
2000 | Summer | Stadium Australia | Sydney | Australia |
New | 115,600 | Yes | |
 |
2002 | Winter | Rice–Eccles Stadium | Salt Lake City | United States |
Existing, replacement | 45,017 | Yes | |
 |
2004 | Summer | Olympic Stadium | Ολυμπιακό Κεντρικό Στάδιο Αθήνας "Σπύρος Λούης" | Athens |  Greece |
Existing, renovated | 72,000 | Yes |
 |
2006 | Winter | Olympic Stadium | Stadio Olimpico | Turin | Italy |
Existing | 28,000 | Yes |
 |
2008 | Summer | National Stadium | 国家体育场 | Beijing |  China |
New | 91,000 | Yes |
 |
2010 | Winter | BC Place | Vancouver | Canada |
Existing, renovated | 54,500 | Yes | |
 |
2010 Youth | Summer | The Float@Marina Bay | Pentas Terapung Teluk Marina 滨海湾浮动舞台 மரீனா பே மிதக்கும் மேடை (Tamil) |
Marina Bay |  Singapore |
Existing | 30,000 | No |
 |
2012 Youth | Winter | Bergiselschanze | Innsbruck | Austria |
26,000 | Yes | ||
 |
2012 | Summer | Olympic Stadium | London | United Kingdom |
New | 80,000 | Yes | |
 |
2014 | Winter | Fisht Olympic Stadium | Олимпийский стадион | Sochi |  Russia |
40,000 | Yes | |
 |
2014 Youth | Summer | Olympic Stadium | 南京奥林匹克体育中心 | Nanjing | China |
Existing | 61,443 | Yes |
 |
2016 Youth | Winter | Lysgårdsbakkene Ski Jumping Arena (opening ceremony) | Lysgårdsbakkene hoppanlegg | Lillehammer | Norway |
35,000 | Yes | |
 |
Håkons Hall (closing ceremony) | 11,500 | Yes | ||||||
 |
2016 | Summer | Estádio do Maracanã (ceremonies, football) | Rio de Janeiro |  Brazil |
74,738 | Yes | ||
 |
Olympic Stadium (athletics and football) | Estádio Olímpico | Existing, expanded | 60,000[2] | Yes | ||||
 |
2018 | Winter | Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium | 평창 올림픽 스타디움 | Pyeongchang | South Korea |
Temporary | 35,000 | No |
| 2018 Youth | Summer | Obelisco de Buenos Aires (opening ceremony) | Obelisco de Buenos Aires | Buenos Aires |  Argentina |
Existing, temporary | N/A | Yes | |
 |
Buenos Aires Youth Olympic Village (closing ceremony)[3] | New | 15,500 | Yes | |||||
 |
2020 Youth | Winter | Vaudoise Arena | Vaudoise Aréna | Lausanne | Switzerland |
New | 9,600 | Yes |
 |
2020 | Summer | Olympic Stadium | 国立競技場 (tentative name) | Tokyo | Japan |
Existing, replacement | 68,000 | Yes |
|
2022 | Winter | National Stadium | 国家体育场 | Beijing | China |
Existing | 80,000 | Yes |
|
2024 Youth | Winter | Gangneung Oval (opening ceremony, speed skating) | 강릉 스피드 스케이팅 경기장 | Gangwon | South Korea
|
Existing | 8,000 | Yes |
|
Yongpyong Dome (opening ceremony) | 용평돔 | Existing | Yes | |||||
| Gangwon Olympic Stage (closing ceremony) | Temporary structure next to existing venue | N/A | No | ||||||
 |
2024 | Summer | River Seine (opening ceremony) | Paris | France |
Temporary | 300,000 | No | |
 |
Jardins du Trocadéro (opening ceremony) | 30,000 | No | ||||||
 |
Stade de France (athletics, rugby sevens, closing ceremony) | Existing | 77,083 | Yes | |||||
 |
2026 | Winter | San Siro (opening ceremony) | Milan | Italy |
Existing | 75,923 | Yes | |
 |
Verona Arena (closing ceremony) | Verona | 15,000 | Yes | |||||
| 2026 Youth | Summer | Diamniadio Olympic Stadium | Stade olympique de Diamniadio | Dakar |  Senegal |
Existing | 50,000 | Yes | |
 |
2028 | Summer | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (proposed ceremonies, athletics) | Los Angeles | United States |
Existing, renovated | 60,000 | Yes | |
 |
SoFi Stadium[b] (proposed ceremonies, swimming) | Inglewood | Existing | 70,240-100,240 38,000 (swimming) |
Yes | ||||
| 2030 | Winter | TBA (opening ceremony) | TBA | France |
TBA | TBA | No | ||
 |
Promenade des Anglais (closing ceremony) | Nice | Temporary | TBA | Yes | ||||
 |
2032 | Summer | Lang Park (ceremonies, football, rugby sevens) | Brisbane | Australia |
Existing, renovated | 52,500 | Yes | |
 |
Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre (athletics) | Existing, renovated | 40,000 | Yes | |||||
 |
2034 | Winter | Rice–Eccles Stadium | Salt Lake City | United States |
Existing | 53,644 | Yes | |
- Notes
- ^ Following the 1996 Summer Paralympics, Centennial Olympic Stadium was rebuilt as designed into Turner Field to serve as the home of the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball from 1997 until 2016, after of which, the team moved to Truist Park, outside of the Atlanta city limits. In 2017, Georgia State University acquired Turner Field, then rebuilt the stadium for a second time into Center Parc Stadium for the university's football team.
- ^ Under present IOC policy, non-sponsoring corporate naming rights are disallowed on venues during the duration of the Games.[4]
Other major events held at Olympic stadiums
^ ‡: Future event scheduled to take place at venue.
See also
References
- ^ Olympic Stadium Archived 2014-03-13 at the Wayback Machine. Big Olympic Encyclopedia. Moscow 2006-2016.
- ^ "João Havelange Olympic Stadium". Rio 2016. Archived from the original on 4 February 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
- ^ "El gobierno porteño gastará $15 millones en la Ceremonia de Clausura de los Juegos Olímpicos de la Juventud". Revista Qué. 25 June 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
- ^ Murphy, Bill Jr. (4 February 2018). "United Airlines Spent $69 Million on This Stadium Naming Deal, But They're Not Getting This 1 Important Thing". Inc. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
External links
- Olympic Past and Future Stadiums - BALLPARKS.com
- Summer Olympic Stadiums (Stadia) 1896 - (2020) on Google Maps (select "Sat View")
